Endangered Bird Flying High In Yosemite

Yosemite National Park photo

Yosemite, CA — An endangered bird species is getting help from a Yosemite National Park restoration project and made its mark before taking flight to a warmer location.

The Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project aims to increase willow flycatcher habitat by restoring meadow and floodplain hydrology. The pair of state-endangered willow flycatchers successfully bred in Ackerson Meadow for the first time in 25 years, raising two offspring this summer. The family of four safely left their nesting site, taking flight on their seasonal migration.

Over a century of certain meadow use practices have decimated willow flycatcher breeding habitat across the Sierra Nevada, according to park officials. The project aims to improve conditions for willow growth and restore the meadow’s vital role in the Sierra Nevada’s willow flycatcher population.